Council Directive 2003/85/ECShow full title

Article 77 U.K. Local disease control centres — Technical requirements

1. Member States shall ensure that the local disease control centres have staff, facilities and equipment as required, and a clear management structure and effective management to ensure the prompt implementation of the measures relating to the epidemiological inquiry, environmental protection, processing of carcasses from infected herds, official surveillance of the zones, tracing, welfare and emergency slaughter, cleansing and disinfection and others measures of sanitation, emergency vaccination, and all other policy decisions.

2. The local disease control centres shall have at least:

(a) one telephone line reserved for communication with the national disease control centre accessible phone lines where farmers and other rural residents can obtain recent, accurate information about the measures taken;

(b) field staff equipped with necessary tools for communication and effective management of all necessary data;

(c) a record system, preferably computer-based, connected to the national disease control centre and to all necessary databases, laboratories and other organisations;

(d) a shared daily journal which shall be maintained to record in chronological order all the events associated with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth and allowing different activities to be linked and coordinated;

(e) up-to-date lists of persons, including private veterinarians, and local organisations in each region who shall be contacted and may be involved in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;

(f) up-to-date lists of holdings to which the provisions of Article 15 and 18 may be applied in the case of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;

(g) up-to-date inventories of possible burning or burial places for animals killed in accordance with this Directive and to be processed in accordance with Community and national legislation on the protection of the environment;

(h) up-to-date list of competent environmental authorities in each region, as well as other environmental bodies who must be contacted and are to be involved in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease;

(i) maps identifying suitable disposal sites for burial of carcasses that will not present a risk of harm to the environment, in particular to surface waters or groundwaters;

(j) list of treatment and disposal undertakings authorised to treat or dispose of animal carcasses and animal waste;

(k) list of measures to monitor and control disinfectant run-off as well as body tissue and fluid displacement into the surrounding environment as a result of carcass decomposition, particularly into surface waters and groundwaters.